Method and apparatus for communication of data between NDT/NDI instrument and an external network

ABSTRACT

A non-destructive testing and inspection (NDT/NDI) system having a communication gateway removably secured to an existing NDT/NDI instrument by a clip-on clasp. The gateway comprises a processor, a network interface, a housing configured to be removably secured onto the NDT/NDI instrument, an interconnect configured to be communicatively coupled with and to carry data to or from the NDT/NDI instrument, and memory storing computer readable code which, when executed on the processor, causes the processor to communicate data with an external network over the network interface. The data includes inspection data which can be any one of the following: ultrasonic scans of A, B, C or S, eddy current strip charts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 62/823,081 filed Mar. 25, 2019 entitledMETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATION OF DATA BETWEEN NDT/NDIINSTRUMENT AND AN EXTERNAL NETWORK, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to non-destructivetesting and inspection (NDT/NDI), more specifically to a communicationgateway for use with an NDT/NDI instrument to communicate with anexternal network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Non-destructive testing and inspection (NDT/NDI) instruments can beutilized to detect internal structural flaws in an object or material bytransmitting inspection energy pulses to a target object and analyzingecho signals responded from the target object. A typical NDT/NDIinstrument may be an ultrasonic instrument which uses an ultrasonictransducer being placed against the object to be tested and allowingbursts of ultrasonic energy send to the object. A typical testing resultof the ultrasonic instrument involves an A-scan which is a plot ofamplitude representing the response of the ultrasonic pulse versus time.Another typical NDT/NDT instrument may be an eddy current instrumentwhich induces eddy current on the surface of testing object. A typicaltesting result of the eddy current instrument involves a strip chartindicating voltage change on an impedance plane.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the example embodiments of the present disclosure, it is provided anon-destructive inspection and testing (NDT/NDI) system comprising anNDT/NDI instrument configured for conducting NDT/NDI measurement, acommunication gateway configured to be secured to the NDT/NDI instrumentand to communicate data with an external network, and a data connectorconfigured to carry the data between the communication gateway and theNDT/NDI instrument. In example embodiments, the communicating gatewaycomprises a processor, a network interface, memory storing computerreadable code which, when executed on the processor, causes theprocessor to communicate data with the external network over the networkinterface, and an interconnect configured to be communicatively coupledwith and to carry data to or from the NDT/NDI instrument.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled inthe art from the following description of preferred embodiments and theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an NDT/NDI system having acommunication gateway for communicating with an external networkaccording to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting the structure of the communicationgateway according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting more detailed structure of thecommunication gateway according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4A is an isometric view of the exemplary communication gatewaybeing removably secured to the NDT/NDI instrument according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4B is another isometric view of the exemplary communication gatewaybeing removably secured to the NDT/NDI instrument according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a flow diagram depicting the exemplary flow of steps that thecommunication gateway uses to receive information from the Cloud (theexternal network) and forward the information to the NDT/NDI instrument.

FIG. 5B is a flow diagram depicting the exemplary flow of steps that thecommunication gateway uses to receive information from the NDT/NDIinstrument and forward the information to the Cloud (the externalnetwork).

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the exemplary communication gateway whendetached from the NDT/NDI instrument in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the instrument with a gateway attachmentpart (an adapter) attached, ready for the communication gateway to beclipped on according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting an example embodiment method forcertification or provisioning of the communication gateway with theexternal network (the Cloud).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, thisinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orbeing carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangements of components and steps set forth inthe following description or illustrated in the drawings. If only oneembodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are not to be limitedto that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof are not to be readrestrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence manifestinga certain exclusion, restriction, or disclaimer.

Typical NDT/NDI instruments do not have built-in telecommunicationcapabilities to allow the instrument to be connected remotely to theInternet or the Cloud. They lack the ability to leverage newtechnological advancements because they were designed as stand-aloneinstruments. Often these existing instruments are fit with a serial dataport to USB converter, which further connects to a Bluetooth® dongle tobe then connected to the Cloud. This is extremely inconvenient. Asnowadays it is often crucial to be able to transfer inspection data fromthe field to the Cloud, or to download files of calibration,specification or control to the existing instruments, there is an unmetneed for this long-sought solution.

One of the novel aspects of the present disclosure is to provide thecommunication gateway which is removably secured to any existing NDT/NDIinstrument, and to enable network connections via choices of connectionmodes, i.e., wireless LAN, Bluetooth® or cellular wirelesscommunication, and, to enable transfer of NDT/NDI data, such as A-scansor strip charts with an external network or the Cloud.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of an NDT/NDI system500 having a communication gateway 2 for providing communications withthe Cloud 100. According to FIG. 1, NDT/NDI system 500 comprises anNDT/NDI instrument 1 configured for conducting NDT/NDI measurement and acommunication gateway 2 configured to communicate data with the Cloud orexternal network 100. External communication devices 42, such as aBluetooth® communicator or wireless LAN access points, can be furtherconnected with the Cloud 100. Communication gateway 2 can alsoalternatively be connected to the Cloud 100 directly via a cellularwireless device (connection shown in dashed line).

Referring to FIG. 2, communication gateway 2 comprises a processor 200,a network interface 240, and memory 300 storing computer readable codewhich, when executed on processor 200, causes processor 200 tocommunicate the data with the Cloud 100 over network interface 240. Itcan be appreciated that processor 200 can be of any type of logiccircuitry.

Gateway 2 also comprises an interconnect 400. A data connector 4 is usedto carry the data between the communication gateway 2 and NDT/NDIinstrument 1 via interconnect 400. Data connector 4 in one exemplaryembodiment is a serial data cable because this type of cable is oftencompatible to existing NDT/NDI instruments. It should be appreciatedthat any type of data cables can be configured to transfer data betweencommunication gateway 2 and NDT/NDI instrument 1. In addition, dataconnector 4 also preferably provides the power source from instrument 1to communication gateway 2.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram providing more detailed description ofprocessor 200, memory 300 and interconnect 400.

Referring to FIG. 3 and continuing to refer to FIG. 2, data connector 4in this exemplary embodiment is a serial data cable connectingcommunication gateway 2 and instrument 1 via a pair of (a first and asecond) UART interfaces 400 and 400′. A data connector 4 iscommunicatively coupled respectively by the first UART interface 400 andthe second UART interface 400′ on the instrument 1. The UART interfaceis only an exemplary embodiment of interconnect 400. Other type of dataconnecting interconnect is also within the scope of the presentdisclosure. In existing practice, UART interface (the second UARTinterface) 400′ on instrument 1 also is enabled to perform otherexisting functions of instrument 1 such as connecting to a PC or anothersimilar type of instrument.

Still referring to FIG. 3, processor 200 is preferably coupled with orincludes a user interface console 250 which includes a general purposeinput and output (GPIO) connector 214 to facilitate user interfacefunctions such as relaying operator commands via buttons 16, 18 (in FIG.6) of communication gateway 2. User interface console 250 may alsoinclude a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) 26 to facilitate userinterface functions via display 12 of communication gateway 2 shown inFIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 3, network interface 240 in this exemplary embodimentincludes any of the following: a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector218, a Bluetooth® connector 232, and a wireless Local Area Network (LAN)transceiver 216. Alternatively, a cellular wireless transceiver (notshown) or any other types of connector or transceiver can be included inthe network interface 240.

Still referring to FIG. 3, memory 300 in this exemplary embodimentcomprises executable instructions which, when executed by processor 200,cause processor 200 to perform the methods of example embodiments of thepresent invention, such as establishing the data connection with NDT/NDIinstrument 1, receiving data from the NDT/NDI instrument 1, establishinga communication channel with external network 100, and sending the datato external network 100.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the executable instructionsin memory 300 comprise modules of computer readable codes such as acloud SDK 208 which is configured to enable communication betweencommunication gateway 2 with the Cloud 100. A “socat” (a name for“multipurpose relay” in Linux) module 210 is preferably used tofacilitate a bridge communication between the communication gateway 2via its Bluetooth® interface 232 or a Bluetooth dongle connected via USB218 with the external communication device 42. A “hostapd” module 212 isused to configure communication gateway 2 to function as a wireless LANor WiFi® access point to, for example, allow an operator to connect andexternal device to the communication gateway 2. Memory 300 also includesother device drivers 202 and other modules of executable instructionssuch as module “wiringPi” 206. Memory 300 further includes a module ofNDT/NDI specific application computer code 222 to facilitate operationsrelated to NDT/NDI instrument 1. And an operating system 204 such as aLinux operation system in memory 300 supports the execution of all ofthe above modules of computer readable codes by processor 200.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the clip-on communication gateway 2attached to the exemplary ultrasonic NDT/NDI instrument 1 is depicted.Instrument 1 can be any type of instrument used in the non-destructiveinstrumentation/testing industry (NDT/NDI), such as an ultrasonic flawdetector, an ultrasonic thickness gauge or a corrosion measurementinstrument. These instruments, particularly those already designed ormanufactured, might not be readily equipped with the abilities tocommunicate with the external network 100, such as via wireless LAN,Bluetooth®, etc. It is often an existing practice to transfer data withthe external network 100 by using a USB or serial port connector enabledstand-alone external communication medium, such as a wireless LAN dongleor a PC.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, according to the present disclosure,instrument 1 is equipped with a removably secured communication gateway2. In the preferred embodiment, communication gateway 2 includes housing28 and clasp 30. Communication gateway 2 is attached to instrument 1with a clip-on clasp 30 (shown in FIG. 4A, and more details in FIGS. 6and 7). In this exemplary embodiment, instrument 1 and communicationgateway 2 are preferably connected by using a serial port connectorcable 4 because this type of connector is traditionally used in theNDT/NDI industry. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that anytype of data connectors can be used to connect instrument 1 andcommunication gateway 2, the embodiment of which is within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4A, communication gateway 2 is preferably configuredto include gateway user interface such as gateway display 12 and buttons16, 18, independent from an instrument display 6 shown in FIG. 4B.Instrument display 6 in its normal NDI/NDI measurement operationsdisplays messages and waveform that used by the existing NDT/NDIinstrument 1. Gateway display 12 is configured to display messagesrelated to the operation of communication gateway 2, such as thecommunications with the external networks 100 or the Cloud (shown inFIG. 1).

Gateway user interface also includes, for example, two buttons 16 and 18nested on housing 28. Button 16 is preferably configured so that when itis pressed and held for a predetermined amount of time, for example, itturns on or off communication gateway 2. Button 18 is preferableconfigured to select what kind of messages to be shown related to whattypes of communication channel is selected.

Those skilled in the art should appreciated that the embodiments ofgateway user interface can take alternative types or forms. For example,it can be a touch screen, a virtual button operated via buttons. Theoperation of gateway 2 can also be facilitated from the instrument userinterface. For example, the operation of selecting a communicationchannel, or a type of network interface as explained above inassociation with FIGS. 2 and 3, can be performed by an operator enteringa command via instrument display 6 or instrument button 8-a or 8-c shownin FIG. 4B.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are flow diagrams showing a method of communicating databetween NDT/NDI instrument 1 and the external network 100 by usingcommunication gateway 2. In the field of NDT/NDI, operation documentssuch as inspection plans related to the location, inspection points andthe nature of the inspection can be prepared at the external network100. As seen in FIG. 5A, in a downlink operation, the embodiment methoddevised by communication gateway 2 comprises a step 501 for establishinga communication channel between communication gateway 2 and externalnetwork 100, a step 502 for receiving inspection plans from the externalnetwork, a step 504 for establishing a data connection with instrument1, and a step 503 for transferring the inspection plans to instrument 1.It should be noted that if the data connection with instrument 1 isalready established, step 504 can be omitted.

As seen in FIG. 5B, in an uplink operation, the embodiment methoddevised by communication gateway also comprises a step 504 forestablishing a data connection between the instrument and thecommunication gateway, a step 505 for receiving data from instrument 2,a step 506 for establishing a communication channel betweencommunication gateway 2 and external network 100, and a step 507 fortransferring the data from the gateway to the external network 100. Itshould be noted that if the data connection with instrument 1 is alreadyestablished in the downlink operation, step 504 can be omitted here. Itshould be noted that the sequence of these steps can be alternated tofit for the operation, which is within the scope of the presentdisclosure. The data in step 505 and 507 includes measurement data, suchas ultrasonic A-scans or eddy current strip charts as explained inassociation with FIGS. 1 and 2.

Known to NDT/NDI industry, instrument 1, such as an ultrasonicinstrument, at times of operation, receives response signals in responseto ultrasonic pulses emitted to a test object (not shown). The responsesignals are converted to digital signals which form testing resultsincluding A-scans—plots of digital response signal amplitude as afunction of time. For Eddy Current applications of instrument 1, theresponse signals would include strip charts on an impedance plane. Itshould be noted that the generation of A-scans or strip charts iscommonly known. One of the novel aspects of the present disclosure dealswith how to conveniently transfer A-scans or strip chart from existinginstruments to the Cloud 100, enabling the usage of various means oftelecommunication protocols without incurring much redesign cost.

It should be appreciated that other ultrasonic data representation, suchas B-scan, C-scan and S-scan can also be transmitted to communicationgateway 2, the embodiment of which is within the scope of the presentdisclosure. It should be further appreciated that A-scan information canbe provided by instrument 1 to communication gateway 2 either in theform of data series or waveform, the embodiment of which is within thescope of the present disclosure.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6, communication gateway 2 when detachedfrom instrument 1 is depicted. As seen in FIG. 6, retention clasp 30similar to those seen on school bags can be used to facilitate thepurpose of easy removal yet stably attaching communication gateway 2onto instrument 1. The example embodiment clasp 30 is comprised of afirst part 10 and a second part 10′. The second part 10′ can beinterpreted as an adapter facilitating the attachment of communicationgateway 2 to instrument 1. The first part 10 comprises a pair of anchortongues 10-1. Correspondingly, the second part 10′ comprises a pair ofreceiving slots 10-2, matching corresponding anchor tongues 10-1. Astabilizing bar 14, optionally configured near anchor tongues 10-1, ismatched with a corresponding stabilizing slot 14′ near receiving slots10-2 on the second part 10′. The sizes and positions of receiving slots10-2 and corresponding anchor tongues 10-1 are configured so that whenthe operator squeezes the two anchor tongues closer together, it allowsthe release of male part 10 from female part 10′ conveniently withoutusing any tools.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the second part 10′ of clasp 30 beingattached to instrument 1. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, existinginstrument 1 in this exemplary embodiment comes with an existing stand32 having a pair of retention stand arms 34 and 34′. The second part 10′of clasp 30 is preferably configured with a pair bolt holes 22 toreceive and hold the ends of retention arms 34 and 34′ of the existinginstrument stand 32. This embodiment provides the advantage ofretrofitting existing instrument 1 with a newly designed communicationgateway without the need to change the design of the instrument 1.

Alternative designs allowing the communication gateway 2 to be removablysecured or attached to instrument can be devised and are within thescope of the present disclosure. For example, a compression over-centerlatch, a buckle with the similar structure of seat-belt buckles, Velco °straps, etc. Alternatively, the communication gateway 2 may be securedpermanently to the instrument 1. It can be appreciated by those skilledin the art that all such alternative embodiments are with the scope ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing the example embodiment communicationgateway being certified as a Cloud recognized hardware. Without suchcertification, communication gateway 100 is not recognized by the Cloud.The certification process comprises the steps as follows. In step 800,communication gateway 2 is connected to a local service PC (not shown)via USB connector (host) 218 (in FIG. 3), giving PC a provisioning codeor bar code. The local service PC can also be other type of device thatis already connected to the Cloud. In step 802, the PC makes aconnection to a certification service at the Cloud 100. In step 804, thePC make a request for certification of the gateway 2 and submitting theprovisioning code. In step 806, gateway 2 conducts handshaking with thecertification service at the Cloud, downloading a certification key andthe production service at the Cloud 100 confirms the certification ofgateway 2. In step 808, the Cloud 100 confirms the certification of thegateway 2 with an established identity as a communication hardware withthe certification key.

It should be noted that the above certification process is differentfrom making registration of a user or user profile for a specificsession of communication with the Cloud 100. The certification processestablished an identity for the gateway 2 to be recognized by the Cloud100, no matter what application, task or which user that thecommunication gateway 2 is associated with.

Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed with reference to the preceding drawings only as exemplaryembodiments and the scope of the invention is limited only by theclaims. These exemplary embodiments are provided only for enabling thoseskilled in the art to better understand and then further implement thepresent invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the presentinvention in any manner.

Further, example embodiments of the present invention may be practicedaccording to the claims without some or all of the specific details ofthe described embodiments. Therefore, the invention encompasses numerousalternative, modified, and equivalent embodiments that may be conceivedhaving a structure and method disclosed as herein and such alternativeembodiments may be used without departing from the principles of andwithin the scope of the appended claims.

For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in thetechnical fields related to the invention has not been described indetail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured. Accordingly,the above embodiments of the present invention are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limitedto the details of the example embodiments given herein, but may bemodified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication gateway for use with anon-destructive testing and inspection (NDT/NDI) instrument, thecommunication gateway comprising: a processor; a network interface; ahousing of the communication gateway configured to be physicallyattached with an attachment element to the NDT/NDI instrument; aninterconnect of the housing configured to be communicatively coupledwith and to carry, data between the NDT/NDI instrument and thecommunication gateway; memory storing computer readable code which, whenexecuted on the processor, causes the processor to communicate the databetween the communication gateway and an external network over thenetwork interface; and a gateway user interface configured for operatingthe communication gateway, the communication gateway being configuredto: provide a provisioning code or bar code to a computing device, thecomputing device forming a connection to a certification service overthe Internet, wherein the computing device requests certification of thegateway from the certification service using the provisioning code orbar code; and conduct handshaking with the certification service overthe Internet to obtain a certification key, the certification serviceconfirming certification of the gateway as having an establishedcommunication hardware identity with the certification key.
 2. Thecommunication gateway of claim 1, wherein the housing of thecommunication gateway is physically and removably attached to a backportion of the NDT/NDI instrument, and wherein the data includes atleast one of the following: ultrasonic A-scan data and an eddy currentstrip chart.
 3. The communication gateway of claim 1, wherein thenetwork interface is selected from a group consisting of: a Wireless LANinterface, a Bluetooth® interface and a wireless cellular networkinterface.
 4. The communication gateway of claim 1 wherein thecommunication gateway is removably secured to the NDT/NDI instrumentusing the attachment element that comprises at least one of a clasp, alatch, a buckle, or a strap.
 5. The communication gateway of claim 1,wherein the memory further comprises computer readable code which whenexecuted on the processor, causes the processor to: establish a dataconnection with the NDT/NDI instrument; receive data from the NDT/NDIinstrument; establish a communication channel with an external network;and send the data to the external network.
 6. A method of communicatingdata between a non-destructive testing and inspection (NDT/NDI)instrument and an external network by a communication gateway,comprising: establishing a data connection between the NDT/NDIinstrument and the communication gateway, the communication gatewaybeing configured to be physically attached with an attachment element tothe NDT/NDI instrument, the communication gateway comprising aninterconnect configured to carry data between the NDT/NDI instrument andthe communication gateway; establishing a communication channel betweenthe gateway and the external network over a network interface; receivingthe data from the instrument at the gateway; transferring the data fromthe gateway to the external network; providing a provisioning code orbar code to a computing device, the computing device forming aconnection to a certification service over the Internet, wherein thecomputing device requests certification of the gateway from thecertification service using the provisioning code or bar code; andconducting handshaking with the certification service over the Internetto obtain a certification key, the certification service confirmingcertification of the gateway as having an established communicationhardware identity with the certification key.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein receiving the data comprises receiving ultrasonic A-scan or eddycurrent strip chart; wherein the communication gateway is physically andremovably attached to a back portion of the NDT/NDI instrument.
 8. Themethod of claim 6 further comprising: receiving an inspection plan fromthe external network at the communication gateway; and transferring theinspection plan from the communication gateway to the NDT/NDI instrumentvia the interconnect.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein establishing acommunication channel comprises selecting a communication channel from agroup consisting of: a Wireless LAN channel, a Bluetooth® channel and awireless cellular channel.
 10. A non-transitory computer readablestorage medium comprising executable instructions which, when executedby a processor, cause the processor to: establish a data connectionbetween a communication gateway and a non-destructive testing/inspection(NDT/NDI) instrument, the communication gateway being configured to bephysically attached with an attachment element to the NDT/NDIinstrument, the communication gateway comprising an interconnectconfigured to carry data between the NDT/NDI instrument and thecommunication gateway; receive data from the NDT/NDI instrument;establish a communication channel with an external network; send thedata to the external network; provide a provisioning code or bar code toa computing device, the computing device forming a connection to acertification service over the Internet, wherein the computing devicerequests certification of the gateway from the certification serviceusing the provisioning code or bar code; and conduct handshaking withthe certification service over the Internet to obtain a certificationkey, the certification service confirming certification of the gatewayas having an established communication hardware identity with thecertification key.
 11. The non-transitory computer readable storagemedium of claim 10, wherein the data comprises at least one ofultrasonic A-scan data and an eddy current strip chart.
 12. Anon-destructive inspection and testing (NDT/NDI) system comprising: anNDT/NDI instrument configured for conducting NDT/NDI measurement; and acommunication gateway configured to communicate data with an externalnetwork, the communication gateway being configured to be physicallyattached with an attachment element to the NDT/NDI instrument, thecommunication gateway comprising a data connector configured to carrydata between the NDT/NDI instrument and the communication gateway, thecommunication gateway configured to provide a provisioning code or barcode to a computing device, the computing device forming a connection toa certification service over the Internet, wherein the computing devicerequests certification of the gateway from the certification serviceusing the provisioning code or bar code; and conduct handshaking withthe certification service over the Internet to obtain a certificationkey, the certification service confirming certification of the gatewayas having an established communication hardware identity with thecertification key.
 13. The NDT/NDI system of claim 12, wherein thecommunication gateway comprises: a processor; a network interface:memory storing computer readable code which, when executed on theprocessor, causes the processor to communicate data with the externalnetwork over the network interface; and an interconnect configured to becommunicatively coupled with and to carry data between the NDT/NDIinstrument and the communication gateway.
 14. The NDT/NDI system ofclaim 13, wherein the network interface is selected from a groupconsisting of a Wireless LAN interface, a Bluetooth® interface and awireless cellular network interface.
 15. The NDT/NDI system of claim 12,wherein the communication gateway comprises a housing configured to beremovably secured to the NDT/NDI instrument.
 16. The NDT/NDI system ofclaim 12, wherein a housing of the communication gateway comprises aclasp for removably securing the communication gateway to theinstrument.
 17. The NDT/NDI system of claim 16, wherein the claspcomprises a first part and a second part which are correspondingly to beaffixed onto the housing and the instrument, and the first part and thesecond part are configured to be attached to each other and to bedetached from each other without the need of using a tool.
 18. TheNDT/NDI system of claim 12, wherein the gateway comprises a gateway userinterface to facilitate operations including establishing acommunication channel with an external network.
 19. The NDT/NDI systemof claim 12, wherein the communication gateway is configured to beconfigured and operated by an instrument user interface which is used tofacilitate operations including establishing a communication channelbetween the communication gateway and the external network.